Food review: Six by Nico Edinburgh

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Six by Nico Edinburgh, not your usual chippie

111 by Nico in Glasgow’s Kelvinside is a family favourite where we’ve eaten numerous times. The head chef Nico Nico Simeone then opened Six by Nico, a more conceptual restaurant with theme-based menus in Finnieston (of course it had to be Finnieston!) a year ago. Don Ivan went to check it out for us and you can read his thoughts here.

Now, Nico has also opened a similar concept restaurant, Six by Nico Edinburgh in the New Town and this began life with the same theme that the Glasgow restaurant started with but the original menu had been tinkered with, ever so slightly…

A 6-course tasting menu costs £28 – this is the only menu however should you have any allergies or intolerances or simply want vegetarian alternatives then these can be provided. Matched wines for each course is an extra £25. I decided just to have a beer, which was the Embra Amber Ale from Stewart Brewing though to my tastes it was more of a red ale than an amber ale! I also had the optional Fish Finger snack which is an extra £5.

Salt Cod Brandade / Chippie Sauce / Marinated olives with Artisan Bread (just out of view)
The stubby fish fingers came with a dollop of brown sauce each. Nicely textured exterior and plenty of fish inside. The olives were plump and the bread, a sourdough, was soft and fresh.

Chips & cheese

Parmesan Espuma / Crisp Potato / Curry Oil

This was not chips and cheese as you know it, and to anyone viewing only and not consuming, this probably looked more like a soup, which it sort of was. Inside this cheese foam concoction lay little shavings of fried potato. So moreish it was very cheesy and delicious, in fact, I’d go as far as saying that this was orgasmic – I could eat a massive bowl of this alone!

Scampi

Scrabster Monkfish Cheek / Pea Ketchup / Herb Pesto / Bergamot

The scampi was more ‘normal’. A crisp batter and ‘meaty’ monkfish in a light pesto with lots of peas! It tasted light and ‘green’, a lovely dish for summer.

Steak Pie

Speyside Beef Shin / Caramelised & Charred Onion / Red Wine

The steak pie was heavily deconstructed – if you look carefully you can perhaps just about make out the slither of puff pastry and dehydrated onion. It didn’t look much like any steak pie I’d eaten before but the slow-cooked meat was tender and delicious.

Fish Supper

A strong scent of pickled vinegar, I’m sure I smelled dill too but didn’t see any. This was a meaty slab of perfectly cooked fish and salty samphire topped with ‘scraps’ – if you’ve ever ordered chips in the north of England then you may have come across these little bits of leftover batter. Good contrasting textures and very tasty but overly oily.

Smoked Sausage

Ayrshire Pork / Salt Baked Celeriac / Caramelised Apple

The smoked sausage arrived under a smoke-filled cloche, which when lifted unleashed the full smoky aroma into the room.
Pulled pork wrapped in a crispy fried (potato?) tube. The interior was tender and meaty but there’s maybe a bit too much going on here – there’s fresh apple, black pudding, mustard and (celeriac?) coleslaw in addition to the pulled pork.

Deep-fried Mars bar

Chocolate Sorbets / Orange / Caramilla Nougat

When is a chocolate ice cream a sorbet? I’m not sure but I love chocolate ice cream and here there were two varieties, one caramelly and the other citrusy. Also on the plate was a ball of nougat to represent the deep-fried element. The main taste here was tart orange/citrus though so it didn’t really remind me of a Mars bar.

The verdict

Six by Nico Edinburgh is every bit as exciting as its Glasgow counterpart and allows those in the capital to enjoy its delights without the need to travel far. Each course may look small but after six of them you will be very full! It’s excellent value for the standard of food and it took me around 2.5 hours to eat it all, however, should you be in a hurry I think all six courses could be served in under two hours. If you like watching chefs at work the kitchen is in full view at the back of the restaurant.
Staff were friendly and helpful. Toilets were also spotless.
The restaurant is in an easily accessed spot, handy for most Edinburgh buses and less than a 10-minute walk from Waverley train station.

The new Willy Wonka menu

Menus are designed to evoke memories or feelings or simply entertain, as the next concept starting tomorrow, May 15th until 24th June, at both Glasgow and Edinburgh restaurants is ‘Willy wonka and the Chocolate Factory’.

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+ Excellent value for a tasting menu
+ Paired wine menu available
+ Constantly changing menu ensures you’ll never get bored eating here
+ Central location
+ Staff were very good
+ You can see the kitchen

– The fish supper was very oily
– Too much going on in Smoked Sausage dish

Disclaimer: Mr Foodie received a free tasting menu but had to pay for all drinks and the optional fish finger course plus his travel to and from Edinburgh.

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